1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a slit valve door for sealing an opening in a load lock chamber.
2. Description of the Related Art
Substrate throughput in semiconductor processing is always a challenge. If technology is to advance, semiconductor substrates continually need to be processed efficiently. Cluster tools have developed as an effective means for processing multiple substrates simultaneously without breaking vacuum. Instead of processing a single substrate and then exposing the substrate to atmosphere during transfer to another chamber, multiple process chambers can be connected to a common transfer chamber so that when a process is complete on the substrate in one process chamber, the substrate can be moved, while still under vacuum, to another process chamber that is coupled to the same transfer chamber.
Moreover, multiple transfer chambers each coupled with a plurality of processing chambers can be connected by load lock chambers to further increase efficiency. Additionally, load lock chambers may be used to connect a factory interface, which is at atmospheric pressure, to a transfer chamber, which is under vacuum.
Therefore, there is a need for load lock chambers that are able to interface between transfer chambers and between a transfer chamber and a factory interface.